Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Chasing Our Tails

After argument with girlfriend
South African man walks into
river of crocodiles, suicides.

Things have become so absolutely ridiculous in the United States it makes one wonder if we are experiencing a period of mass insanity. Can you believe, for example, we are actually having a debate (of sorts) over whether or not people in the upper 2% of the population, with far more money than they need, currently paying less in taxes than ever before in history, in the midst of a period of economic misfortune, should pay less or more in taxes, even the relatively modest amount they paid during the Clinton administration when we had a budget surplus? This is a question so obvious of a solution it is not worthy of even being discussed.

And can you believe we are still issuing permits for deep-water oil drilling only months after the worst oil spill disaster in history, the effects of which are still being felt by those unfortunate enough to live and try to make their living in the Gulf of Mexico. These permits are being issued to the very people who caused the disaster in the first place, and in spite of the fact that no legislation improving the safety has been passed, none at all. The drillers have even admitted that in the event of another disaster they would be no better prepared than they were for the last one. This is, in my opinion, madness, pure and simple. So ridiculous a procedure it is, again, not even worthy of further discussion.

Then there is the matter of nuclear energy. In spite of the recent nuclear disaster in Japan, the outcome of which is still not known but could be worse even than Chernobyl, is far worse than Three Mile Island, and threatens people virtually all over the globe, and in spite of the known fact that many of our existing nuclear energy plants are potentially extremely unsafe, President Obama, and his supporters in the nuclear energy business, still plan to build and operate more of these potentially life-ending plants. This is truly insanity writ large and should never be permitted. Germany has recently announced they will allow no more nuclear energy plants, all other nations should immediately do the same and proceed to close those plants that still exist. This is not worthy of further discussion, it is plain and simply absurd.

Don’t forget the so-called “birther” question. Can you believe we still have to put up with endless hours of television discussing a claim that is known to be totally absurd? Virtually no one but a small number of apparently exceptionally stupid people (including apparently some 42% of Iowans) believe there is any question whatsoever about President Obama’s citizenship and right to be President. And yet Donald Trump, an obvious charlatan, liar, braggart, and opportunist, with no serious intention of running for President, obviously in it merely for the millions of dollars of free publicity he is getting, goes on getting it day after day. Lawrence O’Donnell says he is doing much harm when it is obvious that MSNBC is doing even more harm by carrying this nonsense day after day, hour after hour. Donald Trump does not deserve even one minute of airtime and for the MSM to continue giving him attention is simply ridiculous.

Perhaps most ridiculous of all is the continuing belief on the part of many of our citizens that evolution is “only a theory” and enjoys no greater status than the word of the bible. That contemporary people can believe the earth was created only 6000 years ago, in 7 days, and that people lived alongside dinosaurs, is so far-fetched, so ridiculous, so totally ignorant and mindless, it makes one wonder if these people, like the birthers, are even sane. The age of the earth was settled by geographers in about 1865, evolution is the basic foundation of modern biological science and has been for many years. These are not facts that require any further controversy, like the question of Obama’s birth, they are settled, over, finished, known. To take this as something to be further questioned is simply ridiculous.

Congressman Ryan has put forth a budget proposal that is so outrageously absurd that even most Republicans can’t stomach it. It is clear that at least some 80% of the American public is opposed to his proposal to end Medicare, including some 70% of Tea Party people. This is a proposal that should be simply laughed into a quick oblivion, but there is talk of compromise, if you can believe it. How atrociously bad does something have to be before it is simply not taken seriously? The Ryan plan would also cut taxes even further for the wealthiest individuals in the country, would destroy Medicare, and administer the last rites to the New Deal, something the Republicans have desired ever since it was proposed. Even Social Security, one of the greatest and most successful programs ever conceived, is on the chopping block, even though it has nothing to do with the national debt. Congressional thieves have broken into it, used it illegally, and now don’t want to have to pay it back. This is not only ridiculous, it is criminal.

Finally, for the moment at least, is the conspiracy driven by the Koch brothers and other corporate interests to break the remaining unions, thus removing the last bastions of resistance to their fascist takeover of our nation. This is being attempted under the excuse in several states of budget cutting, even though it has little or nothing to do with their budget shortfalls. Happily there is reason to believe that at least this ridiculous maneuver will not only fail but will reinvigorate the surviving unions and ultimately replace the Republican corporate toadies with more thoughtful and patriotic types with the interests of the nation at heart.

Personally, I do not believe that any of the abovementioned proposals (or whatever you might call them) are worthy of further consideration. All of them appear to have no interest in the public welfare and offer nothing in the way of improving the lot of our citizens. I suspect that in many other nations they would not even be considered serious beliefs or possibilities. To consider them as real possibilities worthy of discussion is simply a waste of time. Further tax cuts for the wealthy, no; further deep-water drilling, no; further nuclear energy, no; Obama’s non-citizenship, no; creationism, no; killing Medicare, a thousand times no; union busting, no. We have degenerated into a nation of valueless individuals with no sense of community, no sense of purpose, no idea of where we should be going, and no serious attention as to how to get there, ridiculous creatures endlessly now merely chasing our tails and baying at the moon.

LKBIQ:
All human beings should try to learn before they die what they are running from, and to, and why.
James Thurber

TILT:
Captain James Cook was killed by Hawaiians on his second voyage to their islands, speared, and some say, eaten.

1 comment:

"...currently paying less in taxes than ever before in history..."What about before 1913, when there were no income taxes? Or from 1913-1915, when the top rate was 7%? It's those absolute statements that get you, man.